Whilst Soldier Boy, Jamie, Pixie and Dawn all arrived safely in the land of opportunities. A more sinister future befell the village they left behind.

Only an hour after the group had escaped, the sun had just started to rise over the small hamlet. Suddenly, a futuristic helicopter appeared above Victor's modest cottage and landed soundlessly beside a fleet of advanced military vehicles outside. As the aircraft came to a stop, the pilot stepped out of the cockpit in a black suit and glasses. He was the definition of your average young Caucasian man. With a face so unremarkable, even his own mother would probably forget it.

"Are the premises safe for Mr M to enter?" The young man said coldly into an earpiece, his accent indistinguishable.

After a few seconds, he received a positive response. He turned towards the cabin doors, knocked and then opened them to reveal an older man of African descent inside a large luxurious passenger compartment being waited on by two barely clothed female servants. This impeccably dressed man was anything but ordinary; whilst he was obviously in his 70s, his impressive physique failed to stay hidden underneath his slightly dishevelled expensive blue suit and seemed to be bursting with energy beyond the confines of his age. As the man pushed aside the fawning women, he used an ornate cane to help leverage his exit from the vehicle. No longer in the shadow of the compartment, his face was now illuminated by the rising sun and showed his weariness and determined eyes. He began scanning the area for any signs of trouble before turning towards the younger gentleman that now stood by his side reverently.

"Has the cause for the distress beacon been determined, Francis? I was planning a relaxing evening with these lovely ladies, so it better be important." The man said in an aged New York accent whilst gesturing to the women that stayed inside the helicopter.

"Andrei was adamant that your aircraft be diverted here as the situation requires a Chapter Head. He would not provide details over the radio, as he wishes to brief you in person and is waiting for you inside as we speak, Mr M. I am, however, happy to report that the men have collected the villagers for questioning and have finished sweeping the premises as you ordered, Sir," The younger man said in a calm tone as he pointed towards the group of soldiers encased in glowing black and blue armour that had cordoned off the area and were now lining up the village's men, women and children on the grass outside.

With his fun disturbed, Mr M did not bother to answer and slowly walked towards the cottage. As he passed the soldiers, each saluted by slamming their right arm into their chest and yelling the organisation's motto. He responded with a nod each time, ignoring the crying villagers that begged him to spare them, when suddenly a rock was thrown at him. With almost inhuman reflexes, he twisted his cane and released a long thin blade that smoothly sliced the stone in half like a hot knife through butter. As the two sizzling pieces fell to the floor, the soldiers, in unison, all aimed their weapons at the source of the throw, and even Francis produced a bright blue gun that was ready to fire.

The person responsible was a trembling mixed-race boy around ten years old. What was potentially his mother was begging Mr M not to hurt the idiotic child.

"Lower your weapons. I shall deal with this," Mr M said as he sheathed his cane and tapped Francis to stay by his side.

The soldiers all complied and continued with their tasks as Mr M began to observe the shaking boy who held his gaze.

With a kind smile, he walked over to the child and lowered himself to his level. The child recoiled in fear but stayed defiantly between Mr M and his mother.

"Now, why would you do that, Son?" Mr M questioned gently in fluent Russian.

"Because you are all meanies!! One of the robots hit my mum!! I won't let you hurt her again!!" The boy yelled as he shook under Mr M's gaze and pointed to the bruise developing on the face of the woman behind him.

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"I am truly sorry. That is unacceptable. My men should not have harmed anyone." Mr M responded with anger on his face before looking disappointingly at Francis. "I was very clear, Francis, we do not cause unnecessary harm. We aren't those freaks."

Francis's facade seemed to waiver in front of Mr M's withering stare before he nodded apologetically.

Mr M then turned towards the shocked child, who was now looking down shyly.

"You are a courageous young man. You remind me of my son when he was your age. What is your name, child?" Mr M said quietly as if lost in thought.

The boy looked up with nervous eyes.

"Alexei, Mister. I'm sorry for throwing the rock. I was really scared and thought you were going to hurt us." The boy replied hesitantly as he stopped trembling but began fidgeting. "Are you going to hurt us?"

Mr M shook his head at the name as if woken from a dream and looked at the boy with a complex expression. "Don't be afraid, Alexei. After all, our job is to give everyone a life without fear. Wouldn't you like that, a world without monsters or pain? Does that sound like the plan of evil men?"

"No, I don't think so. Can I help? We aren't monsters, I promise," Alexei responded with sparkling eyes as everyone around him listened quietly.

"I know you aren't monsters, child. We wouldn't be talking if you were. However, If you want to help, we simply need to hear everything you know related to that home." Mr M said seriously before laughing as he pointed at Victor's cottage. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Alexei looked nervously at the villagers and his mother, who encouraged him with their eyes before he turned back to Mr M and nodded.

"We all woke up because of the loud booms coming from the house of creepy Novikov and his weird daughter. All the men were going to check on it, but mummy told me to stay as I'm only eleven. I didn't listen as I'm the man of the house, and it's my job to protect her. When we all arrived, it looked like a bomb had exploded. It was so scary but also so cool. I got told off at first when they found me, but then we saw the two monsters and the weird room in the floor. Is that what you meant when you said you fight monsters? Can I fight monsters? I know...." Alexei rambled excitedly as if weapons and soldiers didn't surround him.

Mr M went disturbingly quiet and hummed in thought as the boy digressed into other topics and strayed from the original point of the question.

"...then your robots arrived and put us on the grass. It was freezing, and I got scared. After that, they brought everyone else from the village. One of them even hit Mummy when she moved next to me, and that's why I got angry, Mister. I was happy, though, that mummy came to sit with me because she brought an extra coat, and now I'm not cold." Alexei continued happily, raising his arms to show his long thick coat.

Hearing the last part, Mr M chuckled before standing up and interrupting.

"I'm glad you aren't cold. However, you should know these aren't robots, Child," Mr M said as he motioned for the silent Francis to lead the way back to the cottage. "They're humanity's last hope."

As he left Alexei, the boy attempted to race after him but was quickly stopped by one of the soldiers.

"Hey, Mister. What's your name?" Alexei shouted before he looked down in an embarrassed but hopeful manner. "I really am sorry about throwing the rock. Can I come with you, please? I am the strongest at school."

Mr M intended to ignore the little boy's questions, but the voice tugged at the heartstrings of a father and stopped him in his stride.

"My name was lost in this conflict and will only be uttered once more when we have won. For now, I am the one that must apologise, not you, Child. In the end, we all have actions and regrets that weigh on our souls," Mr M said without turning his back. He then continued his path towards the cottage, ignoring anything else Alexei had to say. Once he reached the entrance, he observed the destruction of the once-beautiful door.

He sighed before turning towards Francis, who was faithfully by his side. "Today was supposed to be my off day. You know what to do, make it look like an accident," he ordered, his voice no longer warm but cold and calculating. It was a brutal, heartless act, but he knew it was necessary if they wished to keep their organisation and plans hidden.

Francis nodded as he turned around and reached for his earpiece to relay the orders, his gun drawn.

As Mr M entered the building, gunshots could be heard behind him, followed by screams of terror and pain. Maybe it was the wind, or perhaps it was his imagination, but out of all the screams, one small voice seemed to reach his ears and add itself to the ever-present symphony of pain that haunted his days and nights.

He pushed aside the small amount of guilt that rose to the surface and hardened his resolve. Nothing would stop him and his path. He would allow himself to become a monster if it meant giving his family the world they deserve. Until that day, he would bury his conscience, revel in debauchery, keep his distance and watch his loved ones from afar.

"Just a little longer, and then we will be reunited," Mr M whispered whilst lost in memories of the past. Unable to control himself, he opened an unbreakable V-tech locket and let a single tear run down his face as he looked down at the photo of a smiling young boy devouring a giant ice cream cone.